Turnabout Twins
by Vampire-Souls
Summary: The murder of one of the Hitachiins has occurred, and the other is to blame. Who can help him? Phoenix Wright, of course!


1This is a Phoenix Wright/Ouran High School Host Club crossover. It helps(and is almost necessary) that you know Phoenix Wright. You don't necessarily have to know the latter. Enjoy~

3RD MUSIC ROOM

7:30 AM

Phoenix walked into the 3rd music room, the Host Club's main room, and the location of a murder. He flipped through the Court Record for the second time, hoping to obtain some odd detail that he might have missed the first time through--something that might help him break the case. The victim: Kaoru Hitachiin, age 15, was a member of the Host Club before he was killed.

"Its too bad Hitachiin-san was too distressed to talk to us," Maya-his assistant/medium- said, walking by Phoenix's side, "I'm sure we would have gotten something good out of him."

"Yeah." Phoenix replied. Ever since the trial with Engarde, Phoenix began to have a little doubt in his clients. It didn't help his self-confidence when his client burst into tears at the mere mentioning of the victim's name, allowing no opportunity to talk.

"Hey, Nick, look," Maya said, pointing past the police to an adolescent boy who was examining the scene. Another blond boy, about the same age as the first, stood behind him solemnly. Detective Gumshoe approached both of them, angry, and it appeared he was talking roughly with them (Phoenix couldn't hear, the murmur of the police was too loud). He didn't seem to be happy with the situation.

Maya, being as nosy as she was, dragged Phoenix closer so they could overhear.

"—you can't be here. It's the scene of a crime," Gumshoe said.

The blond staggered, unsure of what to say. Yet the shorter boy didn't falter, and looked at Gumshoe (more like glared, Phoenix noted).

"I'm a witness, aren't I? I'm going to examine the crime scene, for it would be a shame if my testimony was faulty and the jury to become misinformed and biased on my incorrect assumptions."

Gumshoe stood still, apparently trying to understand his words. Maya began to laugh, making everyone look in their direction.

"Oh, hey pal, it's you!" Gumshoe said, returning to his normal self. "You the defense?"

Phoenix nodded. "Yeah, but I have my work cut out for me."

"How's Hikaru?" The boy cut in.

"Umm . . . who are you?" Maya asked, swiping the Court Record from Phoenix only to receive no answers.

"Haruhi Fujioka. With me is Tamaki Suoh. I'm a witness in this case," the boy said.

Maya seemed partially stunned. "You're a witness?"

"Yes. Is there a problem with that?"

"Not really," Phoenix said, "We just don't normally see witnesses before the trial."

"Hikaru didn't do it," Haruhi said, "He would never kill his brother. . . Kaoru," Haruhi looked down glumly and whispered, "I hope he's okay."

"It won't be the same, will it?" Tamaki asked Haruhi, who responded with a shake of his head.

"Is there anything you can tell us that might help?" Maya asked.

"I already did. Hikaru couldn't kill anyone," Haruhi said, "But if you are asking, it's obvious you haven't noticed what it is, yet."

"What _is_ it?" Phoenix asked. He was taken aback when a Psyche Lock appeared.

"Nick. . ." Maya said.

"Yeah, I know, I know," Phoenix murmured. He then looked at Haruhi, "Is there any reason why you think that Hikaru wouldn't kill his brother?"

"Well, obviously, they're twins. Together since birth. They can't stand being apart."

(This is getting us nowhere) "Then you think that Hikaru would have no reason for doing so."

"Right. Besides, if Hikaru were to kill anyone it—"Haruhi stopped mid-sentence,

"Would be someone else, right? Who would that person be?" Phoenix asked.

"No one. Really. There's no one he has a grudge against."

Phoenix looked at him suspiciously. He grabbed a clip from the Court Record, and showed it to Haruhi. "Romance in the Host Club. Relations between the club leader and member become apparent at last school festival. Other members show signs of jealousy."

"So what? There are many members in the Host Club," Haruhi said.

"Right. But only one girl. That girl is you, correct?" Haruhi's locks broke; he hit the nail right on the head.

"You're correct. I'm female. I kind of wanted to keep that away from the court."

"Why would you do that?" Phoenix inquired.

"Everyone's shown some sort of infatuation towards Haruhi," Tamaki said, "It's because she's so different and—"

"That doesn't matter," Haruhi said, "But by doing or saying such, the court will probably feel like Hikaru did it. Because they got into an argument and a lot of things after Kaoru. . ." Haruhi blushed slightly.

"But does anyone really know about that?" Maya asked.

"Kyouya does." Haruhi said.

"Yeah. After they stopped their twincest routine, business kind of dropped. It would be odd if Kyouya _didn't _know that," Tamaki said.

"Do you know where he is?" Phoenix asked.

"Umm. . ." Tamaki said, "Not really. Kyouya, do you—"Tamaki stopped mid-sentence, and Haruhi hit her head with her palm.

"What, Tamaki?" A black haired guy said, stopping what he was writing and pushing his glasses up, "I happen to be very busy at the moment."

"These people want to talk to you," Haruhi said, "So you could shine some light on the subject."

"Right then. Is there anything you want to know?"

"At the moment, anything would be helpful," Maya said.

"'Anything' is a very wide category. You might get things you don't want." 6 Locks appeared around Kyouya as he pushed up his glasses.

"What are you hiding?" Maya asked.

"Nothing. Any information I have will be presented to the court."

"But Kyouya!" Tamaki said.

"The law is the law. I'm not going to change anything just to save a friend. Perhaps it would be best if both Haruhi and Tamaki went to see him. You'd get better information that way."

DETENTION CENTER

8:15 AM

Hikaru Hitachiin sat in the chair in front of the window. He wasn't crying anymore, but he certainly didn't seem like he was all there.

"Hitachiin-san. . ." Maya began, "We brought some friends of yours."

"Hikaru." Tamaki and Haruhi said in unison.

"You guys think I did it, huh?" Hikaru said, looking straight at Haruhi.

"If I did, I wouldn't be hanging around you," Haruhi said strictly, "We need info so that everyone knows that you didn't do it."

". . ." Hikaru looked glumly at the floor. "But you know that better than me."

"I know. . ." Haruhi said, "But. . ."

"Wait, I don't get it. What's going on?"

"I was with Hikaru," Haruhi said, "He helped me buy instant coffee for our guests."

"Then you have a solid alibi," Phoenix said, smiling.

"I wish it was so simple," Haruhi said.

"Some of our clients asked Haruhi to join them in a game of kick-the-can. You know, something commoners play," Hikaru said, "So she asked me to carry the coffee to the 3rd music room. I did. While I was putting the coffee away, the police came in and arrested me."

"Is that all that happened?" Phoenix asked. Hikaru nodded in response.

Everyone was silent. Finally, Haruhi spoke.

"You have enough evidence to make a proper defense, right?"

"I wish. All I have right now is a file on the victim, and a little information on you guys."

"Then I suppose these would be of great use to you." Haruhi reached into her bag, and pulled out a folder filled with papers. She handed the stack to Phoenix.

He flipped through the pages. There were files of everyone in the Host Club, a list of names of which host had which customer, and pictures of the crime scene.

"Haruhi, how did you get these?" Tamaki asked, looking over Phoenix's shoulder. "Aren't they--?"

"Yeah, they're Kyouya's. When everyone was searching the room and Hikaru was arrested, I took pictures of the crime scene and all of the other things going on. Then, I saw Kyouya's files left on the table, and I thought they would be useful too, so I took pictures of that. Oh yeah, and everything that's there has been examined by a member of the police force and has been deemed relevant and genuine as stated in this signed document."

Everyone stood still, looking at her in amazement. "How did you. . ." Phoenix said, trying to come up with the right words," even consider going through such an extended process?"

"I want to be a defense attorney when I get older," Haruhi said, "So I figured that all of this would be useful in this case."

"But how'd you know that Hikaru would be blamed?"

"He was arrested, right? And since he was the only one in the room. . . I just figured to be safe."

"I guess this is the only evidence we're gonna need, right?" Maya asked.

"Sadly I have to agree with you on that," Phoenix said," But something concerns me. . ."

"What?"

"Kyouya Ootori. I mean, you got those files, but there still are those Psyche Locks."

"Cyclops? Psycho-locks?" Phoenix turned red. He forgot that no one else could see them.

"Its nothing," He said, trying to ignore the disbelieving stares of others.

Haruhi and Tamaki left, leaving Maya and Phoenix to talk since Hikaru had gone in for questioning.

"Is there anything we can do about it?" Maya asked.

"I doubt it. It's late, and it was hard enough getting anything out of him."

"So. . ."

"As much as I hate to admit it, we have to wait for tomorrow and see what happens."

COURTROOM LOBBY A

7:00 AM

"I'm not gonna get a guilty verdict, am I?" Hikaru asked nervously.

"As long as you didn't do it," Phoenix smiled.

"I'm not so sure," Hikaru sighed, looking at the floor in a style similar to Maya's.

"Wait. . . WHAT?!" Maya yelled.

"See, the day of the murder, I had put the coffee away, when I came back to the room, I saw Kaoru. He looked surprised, then everything went black. I guess I was hit on the head considering I have a bump," He rubbed the back of his head, where Phoenix assumed a bump was.

"So you were hit?" Maya asked.

"That's not the problem. It's the timing," Phoenix murmured.

"And the other possibilities," Haruhi said, "I was really gone for twenty minutes, but. . . I didn't see anything odd.

"Well, hopefully I can pull together a case with this," Phoenix sighed.

"But we've been successful so far!" Maya smiled. "And we could always use Mia. She gets us out of the tight spots."

"Will the defense please proceed to the courtroom?" The bailiff asked.

"We will now commence with the trial of Hikaru Hitachiin in the murder of Kaoru Hitachiin. Is the defense ready?"

"Yes, Your Honor," Phoenix said, practically lying through his teeth. One more day was all he needed.

"And is the Prosecution ready?"

Phoenix looked at the Prosecution for the first time; he was so deep in his own thoughts that he hadn't even given thought to who his opponent might be. Shocked, he found that on the other side of the courtroom was his worst adversary and best ally, Miles Edgeworth.

"The Prosecution is ready, Your Honor," Edgeworth said, tapping his fingers on his own arm, impatient.

"Your opening statement."

"I'd rather skip to witness testimonies, Your Honor."

"Might I ask why?"

"Just because whatever anyone says in their statements ends up in the opposite direction and shoved in everyone's face. Just in case. . . I'd rather avoid that."

"You don't seem confident. Are you sure you are prepared?" Haruhi teased, standing in the witness stand.

"Who might you be?" The judge asked her.

"The first witness, Haruhi Fujioka."

"You were supposed to wait until I called you to the stand!" Edgeworth growled, pounding his fist into the table.

"I know, but I forgot to tell you something," Haruhi said, "Tamaki Suoh is joining me in my testimony."

"Might I ask why?" Edgeworth asked between gritted teeth.

"With two people testifying at the same time, it could be either rock solid or easy to break, right?" Tamaki said.

"T-That's a good point. Does the defense or prosecution have any objections?"The Judge inquired.

Edgeworth stood there for a second, tapping his finger and thinking. "No objections here," He finally said.

Phoenix thought for a moment. If he made any mistakes, it could possibly mean Hikaru's life. "I have no objections."

"But. . .shouldn't the detective in charge- -" The judge said, the thought suddenly hitting him.

"He had some personal affairs to attend to. So, instead we have a very intelligent student who was in the room when the arrest occurred and was with the defendant before anything happened."

"Well, that will do," The Judge said.

"Let's begin with your names and occupations, please," Edgeworth said.

"Right. I'm Haruhi Fujioka, a student among the rich ba- - among the Host Club at Ouran Academy. I'm studying to become a lawyer, a defense attorney to be precise." Haruhi said.

"I'm Tamaki Suoh, the king of the Host Club!" Everyone was silent, unsure of what to say.

"Please be serious," Haruhi said.

"Only for you," Tamaki said, bringing his face close to Haruhi's. A deep gasp was heard throughout the crowd; apparently they didn't know that Haruhi was a girl (since she was still in her uniform).

"Tamaki . . ." Haruhi said, looking at him blankly: she wasn't amused. Everyone was silent, each wanting to see where it would result. But instead, Tamaki made a short cry in pain as Haruhi pinched the back of his hand. "Tamaki, if you won't be serious and focused, Hikaru will be judged unfairly and you will be out of both of the Hitachiins." Her gaze was cruel, sending a chill down the spines of everybody.

"Ok, ok. I'm also a student at Ouran Academy and my father is the chairman. My goal is to be a lawyer. I founded the Host Club." He looked at Haruhi with puppy-dog eyes, and she smiled.

"Can you testify about what happened in the 3rd Music Room?" Edgeworth asked.

"Well, no one knows for sure, but I can tell you about the room and the opinion of the detective and several police officers."

"How did you obtain that?" Phoenix asked.

"Simple. I just spoke to them."

"Well, begin by telling us the scene of the crime," Edgeworth said.

Haruhi obliged, and flipped through a file she kept in her bag. "Well, the 'murder' took place in the 3rd music room of Ouran Academy."

Phoenix was about to say something, but stopped himself. Normally whenever he asked something, he was either penalized or ridiculed.

"Yes, Mr. Wright?" Haruhi asked. Everyone looked at him. He had said something without actually doing it. Now, he couldn't get out of it.

"You seem doubtful when you say 'murder,' why is that?"

"Good question, but I was going to continue with that in my statement." And, as usual, everyone gave him a mocking glance.

(That's why I didn't want to say anything!!) Phoenix sighed, and then waited for the next statement.

"Police only guess that Kaoru was killed based on their own ideas. To be correct, there isn't enough blood to signify death, but he definitely would be badly hurt at this point. Near the blood pool some hair was found that matches Kaoru Hitachiin, but consequently also matches Hikaru."

"Then how do you know that it was Hikaru?" Phoenix asked.

"Because the hair was brown. Hikaru dyed his hair brown. And, as you can see from the file picture, Kaoru's a redhead.

"But it's the room where the whole Host Club and its guests are, right? So how do you know that he didn't just shed a hair?"

Haruhi seemed hesitant. "I'm not really sure about the scientific part because I'm no CSI, but apparently the end of the hair at the root was there, there was some weird residue or something that gave evidence of hair being pulled out."

"Is this line of questioning important, Wright?" Edgeworth asked impatiently.

"Yes, it is. It could prove whether or not he is guilty!" Phoenix said.

"Well, do you have anymore questions on this subject, or may the witness continue?" the judge asked.

"Actually, I don't."

Haruhi paused for a moment. "I . . . don't think Hikaru would do it. If only you knew him."

Surprisingly Edgeworth didn't object . . . or say anything for that matter.

"Why do you think that?" Phoenix asked.

"Well, I would tell you, but it has nothing to do with this testimony," Haruhi said, smiling.

(What, is she setting up another testimony?) Phoenix thought. "Perhaps we could hear more about the victim and my client?" He asked.

"Yes, I can give you another testimony, although Tamaki knows more. Is there any problems with the testimony I gave you?"

(It was pretty wide and general, so there wasn't much to take out). If necessary, Phoenix would just compare her later testimonies to this one. "No, not from me."

"Ok, then. Tamaki, if you please," Haruhi gave him a look that he could not refuse.

"Well, I met the twins when they were still in junior high. They were really . . . secluded," He said.

"If they were secluded, how did you meet or talk with them?" Phoenix asked.

"Knowing Tamaki, he probably forced his way in and acted like himself," Haruhi sighed.

"Yeah, well, they made me play a guessing game," Tamaki said, "But I did win," he grinned.

"You did not, Tono!" Hikaru shouted, "You never gave a good reason!"

"But you still came to the Host Club, did you not?" Tamaki smiled. Hikaru had no comment.

"What was this game called?" He had to find out.

"It's still-- it was a game that Hikaru and Kaoru played to entertain the guests. They called it 'Docchi ga Hikaru-kun da shouka geemu' or 'Which one is Hikaru-kun?game' The only one who ever got it right was Haruhi."

"Please don't remind me about that," Haruhi said, rubbing her head as if she had a headache.

"Why is that?" The judge asked, obviously curious of this game.

"Because when I got it right, they asked for a reason. I would say it, and they would get in an argument. That would wind up being a farce so that they could visit my house."

"Have they ever got into an argument, a real argument?" Edgeworth asked.

"Yeah, once. That's why Hikaru dyed his hair so that they could finally be different."

"Why did that argument start?" Phoenix regretted that question the moment he said it.

"Kaoru . . . said he loved me," Haruhi looked down and blushed. A gasp went through the jury.

"May I remind the jury that Haruhi Fujioka is a girl?" Edgeworth said impatiently, knowing that the jury hadn't seen ahead and was fooled by appearances (just like the Dahlia Hawthorn case).

"Oh, sorry Ms. Fujioka," the Judge stammered.

"It's okay," Haruhi said, "I did the exact same thing to the Host Club," she smiled.

"So then, did Hikaru love you as well?" Edgeworth asked.

"I . . . don't know," she said.

Tamaki looked at her glumly, "Probably. He was always really emotional around her."

"So there's a motive!" The Judge exclaimed, hoping he had come across the revelation before anyone else. The jury whispered among themselves.

"Hold it!" Haruhi yelled. "You're seeing it the wrong way! If Hikaru wanted to kill anyone, it would be Tamaki!" Everyone looked at her blankly.

"Oh yeah," Tamaki said, "That would make sense," He thought for a second, "Wait, Hikaru, you're not going to kill me, are you?"

"Tono, I didn't kill anyone," Hikaru said, depressed.

"I don't get it. Why would he want to kill Mr. Suoh instead?" The Judge asked.

"Because Tamaki and I are . . . dating," Haruhi blushed.

"Oh, I see," The judge seemed slightly amused, and Phoenix could only imagine what he was thinking.

"So you are saying that Hikaru _didn't_ do it?" Phoenix asked.

"He couldn't have, in my opinion," Haruhi said, "I mean, look at the crime scene, and at him even, he didn't have time--"She stopped herself short, so no one really heard her.

"Could you frame a new testimony for the court?" the Judge asked, "About what is wrong with the crime scene?"

"The first thing wrong was that there was no body found. There was just a pool of blood and some hairs," Haruhi thought for a moment, "Some rugs were slightly wrinkled. But that could have been from the day before, and we didn't set up yet."

"Set up?" Phoenix asked.

"Yes, Tamaki likes many different themes, so we have a lot every week. I believe that we were going to set up for a tropical theme this week," She glared at him from the side, "Anyway . . . there wasn't a lot of blood, maybe, _maybe_ enough to cause unconsciousness, but not death."

"And you know this how?" Phoenix asked.

"I studied after I saw it and the room. I figured I would be a witness," she explained.

"Why is that?" The Judge asked.

"I was with Hikaru on the day of the incident," Haruhi replied.

"Why didn't you mention it before?" the Judge asked.

"Because I knew that he," she glared at Edgeworth, "would use it against me. You didn't ask, so I didn't tell."

"So what did happen that day?" Phoenix asked. He would have to get every detail that he possibly could.

"I had to go to the market to get instant coffee. I invited the Hitachiin twins, Hikaru and Kaoru. Anyone else would probably be a nuisance," She looked at Tamaki.

"But Kaoru wouldn't come. He said he had something that he had to do, but he wouldn't tell us what it was."

"So you have no idea," Edgeworth asked.

"Not really. He was gripping a note in his hand, so I assume it had something to do with it."

"A love letter?" Maya whispered to Phoenix.

"Most likely. They are high school students, after all," Phoenix whispered back.

"We came back about twenty minutes later, and we were going to drop off the coffee, but I was called off by a couple of my guests. I was gone for . . ." she thought for a moment, "twenty minutes at the most."

The jury was silent. To them, twenty minutes was plenty long to kill someone.

"When I came back, the police were already there, arresting Hikaru," she thought again, "according to the reports, it took five minutes for the police to arrive."

"Do you know what was going on at the time that you were gone?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't."

"Well then, perhaps we could bring Hikaru Hitachiin to testify what happened?" Phoenix asked. It wasn't his call, and since he was unable to turn back, he would just have to dive in head first.

"It wouldn't hurt," Edgeworth shrugged. It was too easy, and Phoenix knew it was probably a trap. Hikaru stepped up to the witness stand.

"Name and occupation."

"Hikaru Hitachiin. I guess right now I'm a suspect in the murder of my brother." he smiled wryly.

"Mr. Hitachiin, please testify to the court on what happened," Edgeworth said.

"After Haruhi and I went to the market, she was called away. I went to the 3rd Music Room to drop off the coffee. I dropped it off on the counter, since Haruhi's the only one who knows where things go. I went out, and was kinda surprised, 'cause I saw Kaoru standing there. I admit I was a little bit pissed, but I figured that he musta finished his errand or whatever."

"What happened then?"

"Oh, right. I don't really know. I blacked out."

"So you don't know whether or not you killed the victim," Edgeworth said.

"It's not that! It's that when I came back out, Kaoru looked slightly surprised. I heard a thud sound, and felt a sharp pain in my head. Then I fell unconscious."

"So," Edgeworth said, "You say you _saw_ him, but then something hit you and made you faint."

"I guess . . ." Hikaru said, unsure of his answer.

"A fire extinguisher." Haruhi said from next to Maya.

"I beg your pardon?" The Judge asked, doubting whether or not he had heard correctly, "A fire extinguisher?"

"Yes, Your Honor. Although Tamaki is the 'King' of the Host Club, there still is some order. Many items stay in the same location, normally just hidden. But the fire extinguisher went missing. "

"So he was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher?" the Judge asked.

"That's unlikely." Edgeworth murmured under his breath, low enough so no one could hear.

Phoenix perspired a little. This whole mess was _extremely _familiar to him. "Did anything happen when you woke up?"

Hikaru thought for a second. "Yeah, when I woke up, I found myself being arrested. I didn't know who I was or what was going on. I didn't really regain my thoughts until I got to the detention center."

"Well then," Edgeworth said, "this was an absolutely marvelous waste of time. Since the defendant is the only one to claim such, I believe that this was useless to the case. And- to prove my point- I have a witness who saw all of it."

"So a decisive witness, then." The Judge said, sounding like he was almost ready to declare a verdict by just the mere sound of those two words. (Shouldn't a Judge be a little more firm in his ideas and not be so easily swayed?!).

"Yes. I call to the stand Miss Veia Cadadela." The last name was a bit of a tongue twister, and even Edgeworth had a bit of troubles spitting it out.

A young girl, perhaps a year younger than Hikaru, stood on the witness stand. She was a brunette, with short hair and bangs that covered her eyes. She brushed them away from her face to reveal crystal green eyes. Phoenix could hear a slight murmur from the jury, and he automatically put his guard on and prepared fro the worst. This girl would be trouble.

"Your name and occupation, please." Edgeworth said calmly.

"My name is Veia Cadadela, but you guys can just call me Veia, so you don't embarrass yourselves with my name. Sorry, it's a Spanish name."

"Oh, that's alright. Glad you considered us," the Judge said.

"Well. . . I'm a student at Ouran Academy. I moved here a year ago. And as for my future, I plan to join my parents in their successful company, just like they want me to." She smiled sweetly.

"So you say you saw the murder?" Phoenix asked.

"Yes . . . I did." She looked down glumly, tears formed in her eyes.

"Could you . . . testify about it?" The judge asked. She nodded.

"I . . . came early to the Host Club. I saw Hitachiin-san there, so I talked with him for a while. But Hitachiin-san came in, and he was grumpy.."

"Wait a second, I thought you were talking to Hikaru, how could he come in grumpily?" Phoenix was confused.

"If you were paying attention," Edgeworth said, "She was in the room with Kaoru Hitachiin, since he didn't go to the store, then saw Hikaru come in angrily. Anyone with half a brain could figure that out, Wright." He took every opportunity he could to insult Phoenix, yet the judge and jury were unusually quiet.

"So I left, or . . . they thought I did. I said 'bye' and Hikaru Hitachiin-san grunted. I hid behind the piano."

"So, he didn't really acknowledge you?" Phoenix asked, rubbing his chin.

"No . . . and Kaoru was so concerned about his brother that he didn't notice me," She smiled shyly, "So I just hid there. And. . ." She paused for a moment. "Then I saw it."

"Please tell the court what happened," Edgeworth pushed.

"Hikaru went into the kitchen. He came out with a knife and then. . . and then- -" She started to cry. "Hikaru stabbed his brother in the stomach."

A silence went through the courtroom, but Phoenix wasn't impressed. He had gone through a case with similar conditions (actually, Edgeworth had told him about it), and by the look on Edgeworth's face, he wasn't impressed.

"But there would be more blood, don't you think?" Phoenix questioned her.

"Well. . . yeah. . . but. . ." Veia seemed to have trouble regaining her composure. She shyly looked to Edgeworth for help.

"But what if the knife was left in the body? There would be limited blood flow and it would also be consistent with the fact that no murder weapon was found."

"Was that the case?" The Judge asked her.

"Umm. . ." She paused for a second, trying to think and see in the explanation was logical. "Yes! That's what happened!"

"Then could you please elaborate?" Phoenix asked. The more she remembered (or made up, Phoenix had that sinking feeling that she was lying), the easier it would be to find a contradiction.

"Yes. . . When Hikaru stabbed Kaoru. . . he just stood there for a while. The both of them stood there, stunned. Then Hikaru let go. . . and Kaoru tried to pull the knife out, but he couldn't, and he fell to the floor." She started to cry again.

Even Edgeworth seemed a little confused at the moment. "But the body wasn't found at the crime scene. How did that happen?"

"Well. . . I was in a state of shock, and as was Hikaru. His back was facing me. . . and he was staring at Kaoru, so I ran out the door and called the police."

Phoenix thought for a moment. Something was nagging at him, yet he was clueless as to what it was. He quickly scanned the court record and found exactly what it was.

"Objection!" He shouted, okay he said. "Miss Veia, you said you were hiding behind the piano here. . .?" He pointed at the map.

"Yes."

"And you saw the murder occur. . . here?" He pointed at another location, one that had the bloodstain marking.

"Indeed." She showed no change in her face, but Edgeworth did.

"Ah!" he said, banging his fist on the table.

"What's wrong?" The girl asked. She flinched as soon as she realized.

"The problem is that if she was really where she said she was, she wouldn't be able to see the murder, or anything for that matter!"

"Augh!" She was quiet for a second, sending a death glare to Phoenix. "Well. . . I. . . oh, that's right. There was a mirror! I saw it through the mirror!

"Miss Veia, if you could please amend your testimony."

"See, I couldn't see it through that wall. So I was trying to look for a way out. That's when my eyes saw the mirror and I saw it happen. With the knife in his left hand, he stabbed Kaoru!!"

"Objection!" Phoenix yelled. "Miss Veia, you've only said a couple of sentences and there is already many things wrong with this testimony!"

"Ahh- -!" Veia looked concerned.

"Your first mistake was that he held the knife with his left hand. Hikaru Hitachiin is right handed."

"Well, I was watching it through a mirror, so I assumed- -"

"That's where you made your second mistake," Phoenix said, his confidence rising.

"She assumed?" The Judge asked.

"No, Your Honor! You see, the 3rd Music Room was emptied for redecorating. Everything except for the piano and the Instant Coffee had been moved to another location. There was no mirror in the room, as you can see in the photo of it."

"Erm. . .!" Veia was at a loss of words.

"Nice going Nick!" Maya whispered. "But three? I can't think of another. . ."

"Don't worry; I think this will prove Hikaru's innocence!" Phoenix whispered back. "You see, that brings me to my final point. Every item in that room had been removed, including the kitchen hardware. There had been no opportunity for my client to obtain a knife!"

"Objection!" Edgeworth exclaimed. "He had plenty of opportunities. He was at the store with Ms. Fujioka, he could have received one then!"

"Objection!" Phoenix retorted. "Its not that simple. I spoke with Ms. Fujioka and she stated that they were no better than children in their knowledge of a 'commoner's life.' She practically has to babysit them! He would have had no opportunity!"

"Objection!" Edgeworth said. "There was a time difference between Ms. Fujioka leaving him and when he was found." He shook his head. "He would have enough time to kill and to- -"

"Hide the body, right? And that is where I can state my final contradiction."

"?!?" Everyone was slightly surprised, even Maya.

"See, the one problem is that. . ." Phoenix showed a picture of Hikaru being arrested.

"And. . .?" Edgeworth asked. "What's so interesting about that?"

"Might I point out the clothes?" Phoenix said. "There's a simple issue. Even if he would have had enough time to hide the body, he first would have needed to touch it. And yet . . . There's no blood on any of his clothes."

The crowd began to murmur, and it was very positive in the effect that Hikaru was going to be declared not guilty.

"One question, then, Wright. If the defendant didn't do it, who did?" Edgeworth grinned. If Phoenix couldn't prove who else could have done it, he would probably wind up with a guilty verdict.

"Yes, yes! Mr. Wright, you always end up with the right answer. Do enlighten the court, please!" the Judge said, almost jumping out of his robe.

The pressure was crushing. But he couldn't let it get to him; it would ruin his judgment and his client's life. He had to think, and think hard. Anyone who had contact . . . anyone without an alibi. . . there was Kyouya, Tamaki, Hikaru, and this witness. There was even more people from the guests to the enemies of their home. Yet. . . this one person was the most suspicious. He had to approach this with tact.

"I believe, to begin with, that we are not working toward a murder case," Phoenix said.

"Is it a serial killing?" the Judge asked.

"No! No! Nothing like that! I'm merely suggesting that this case and the victim aren't murder related," Phoenix thought for a second, "There was no murder weapon found, a very small blood pool, and no body found. I think, instead, this is a kidnapping."

"A kidnapping? Do tell, Wright," Edgeworth said, tapping his finger on his arm.

"The first thing that happened was this letter being sent to Kaoru." Phoenix showed the jury remnants of an ink-splattered letter. A couple of letters and words were able to be seen, but it wasn't exactly legible.

"D . . . r. . . Kaoru . . . s," The judge said, trying to make sense of the letter. He paused at every space.

"We can assume it said 'Dear Kaoru-sempai'"Edgeworth said. "That is, if it follows the proper letter format and regular Japanese custom."

"Meaning that the person who wrote this had high respect for Kaoru Hitachiin, and that he/she was younger," Phoenix added on.

The Judge continued to read. "Please meet me . . . after school. I have . . . you something. It's about . . . and I want . . . of utter importance. You . . . must know . . . Please don't . . . Love . . ." The Judge was silent for a second.

"This sounds like a love letter!" He exclaimed.

"It's probably just a letter from Hikaru," Edgeworth said.

"Right. But why would he write a letter when they sit right next to each other in all of their classes, and live together?" Phoenix asked.

"Please, Mr. Wright, I want to know who did it, and how!" The Judge said, acting like a child being taunted by candy.

"By the wording of this page, you can tell this is from someone who has high respect for him, and most likely someone younger or a guest of the Host Club. That minimizes the possible suspects by over half. Then, because the victim was Kaoru, the list can also be minimized to the guests of the Hitachiins."

"We get it, Wright. You can use deductive reasoning." Edgeworth shrugged. "But are you merely wasting time? Tell the court who did it, and how!"

"Phoenix smiled. "Ok, then. I'll tell you what I believe happened. The culprit first sent a letter to Kaoru Hitachiin, and asked to meet in the Host Club room after school and before the club started.

"After school, Kaoru was asked to go get coffee with his brother and Ms. Fujioks. It was a good opportunity for Kaoru to meet up with this person. He went into the Host Club where the person waited for him.

"But someone came in before she had the opportunity to talk to him. At that moment, you suddenly realized that no matter what, someone would be in the way of whatever you wanted. Mainly: Hikaru Hitachiin. Right, Miss Veia?"

Everyone looked at her and she turned bright red. "Y-you think that I did it? How absurd?!"

"Miss Veia, if you're not willing to tell everyone how you did it, I will. I can even establish your motive," Phoenix said.

"You're bluffing," Veia said.

"Then I have one really convincing bluff," Phoenix grinned, and Veia squirmed. "Either you tell the court, or I do."

"Ah . . . ah . . ."Veia looked like she was in shock, and began to shake a little. She sighed and looked at the ground. "Lo siento . . ." She murmured something.

"Huh?" The Judge didn't seem to understand what she said, but neither did the rest of the court.

"No escondolo mas tiempo,"Veia said, "I'll tell you guys."

"Did you kill my brother?" Hikaru out bursted.

"No. . . He's not dead."

"What happened?" Phoenix asked. "Start from the beginning."

"Mmm. I'm a constant guest of the Hitachiins. But . . . I adore Kaoru. So . . . I sent him a letter to tell him how much I loved him and how much I wanted to be with him. I know he loves Haruhi, but I had to let him know. When I went to speak with him, he wasn't there. So I hid in the kitchen under a table. He walked in, and looked through a couple of papers, my note. Then, before I got up to talk to him, s- - Hikaru came in. He dropped off a couple of bags and then I realized I didn't stand a chance. So I knocked out Hikaru with a leg of the table and attacked Kaoru. I only got his arm, but he fell unconscious and I was afraid that he was dead. I wrapped it up quickly and moved him out of the school and home. There's a secret elevator in the storeroom of the 3rd music room, you know. Then I called the police," She sighed.

"Is that your confession, then?" the Judge asked.

"Si." She nodded.

"Then . . . I believe I can pass my judgement. Miss Veia, you shall stand trial for the kidnaping of Kaoru Hitachiin."

"I understand, Your Honor," she said.

"Hold it!" Phoenix yelled across the courtroom.

"Phoenix, what are you doing? We're about to get a 'not guilty'!" Maya said nervously.

"We still are. But I don't want her blamed for another's crime."

"But isn't that the job of her soon-to-be defense attorney?"

"Yes, but I want to find the truth, not an excuse to get a not guilty."

"Is there a problem, Wright?" Edgeworth asked.

"One simple thing; her confession," Phoenix said.

"What is wrong with that?"

"Her description, for the most part," He said, "She said first that there were a few notes, yet she only-as the court recognizes- sent one. Second, she said she knocked out Hikaru with a table leg. However, as you can see in this picture, the table is undamaged and it is clear that the fire extinguisher was the weapon used. These discrepancies can only mean one thing-she's covering for someone."

"But, Mr. Wright, you just said-" the Judge said, confused.

"Such measures must be taken to acquire the truth," Edgeworth said. "So who really did it? And where is Kaoru Hitachiin?" He pointed at

"I know he didn't approve of my infatuation. But, I couldn't help it, Kaoru was perfect. I know I shouldn't have told him, but I had to tell someone and he's the only one."

"Who is it? Who's the one that did this?"

"Ngh . . . I . . . will never tell you. Not for any reason, even if it takes my life." She bit her lip.

"Well, you actually don't need to tell us . . ." Phoenix said, thinking. "I think I can probably make a pretty good guess of who we're looking for."

"Oh, do enlighten us, Wright." Edgeworth rolled his eyes. Phoenix knew what he was thinking, '_if you knew so much, why didn't you just say so in the beginning, you moron?' _or at least something around those words.

"Well, I do think that the path she mentioned was used. But I did notice something odd about the scene. Miss Veia, you do wear high heels, correct?" Everyone was quiet, looking at Phoenix like he was an idiot.

"Well, yeah. Every girl at school wears them. And I do so hate tennis shoes. Very _inconveniente_ for a woman." She smiled.

Phoenix grinned in victory, even though he knew it was too early to celebrate. "At the scene there were no footprints that matched high heels, instead, they matched a men's shoe. These footprints were covered in blood, showing that the person had been there when Kaoru was injured."

"Wright," Edgeworth wagged his finger, "It could have been anyone, even a clumsy detective."

"And yet. . ." Phoenix responded, "The footprints led to the storage room, where no one had even thought of going. I bet that past the door there's footprints that lead right to the elevator."

"This is irrelevant. Anyone with half a brain would have gone there already."

"Objection! The doors are locked. No one would be able to tell or even go there."

"Well, who has the key?" The judge inquired.

"Well . . ." Phoenix scratched his head. "I don't actually know that. . ."

"Then you wasted all of this time, Wright!" Edgeworth smiled. "All you've stated is that the girl you just accused isn't the one who had done it, and that the person who had done it was a male. Unless you have anything else to say, you just accused your client."

(Oh! Arghhh! I hadn't even realized that!). Phoenix shuffled through the Court Record quickly, trying to find something he could use. He stopped when he saw the profile of a young man from a paper within the folder Haruhi had given him. He pulled out the paper, and examined it.

"Miss Veia, you are engaged to be married, correct?" Phoenix asked. "To this man?" He presented the paper.

"Once again, irrelevant." Edgeworth sighed.

"Objection! If you'll only listen for a little bit, you'll understand what I mean." Phoenix smiled. "Miss Veia, if you could answer the question."

"Yes, I am betrothed to him. It's a good thing we're friends." She smiled sweetly again.

"Hmm, this paper says the same thing. Of course, it also lists many incidents in which your fiancé has attacked and threatened the Hitachiins, Kaoru mostly, some that he could easily be charged for."

"Well, yes, he doesn't approve of me spending time in the Host Club."

Phoenix didn't say anything. He didn't need to.

"Let me see that paper, Wright." Edgeworth caught the paper that had been thrown as a paper airplane. He read it over quickly. "Attempted assault on Kaoru Hitachiin. . . Multiple threats against Kaoru Hitachiin . . . He's just as much of a suspect as anyone."

"No!" Veia said. "He was in a tutoring class that day! He was tutoring . . ."

"Tutoring who?"

". . .Me. He was supposed to be, but I wanted to meet Kaoru. He waited in the room for me."

"Hmm . . ." Edgeworth thought for a moment. "Perhaps we should bring him to the witness stand."

"Is he already prepared?" The judge asked.

"No. We'll contact him and summon him here. It will take at least half an hour."

"Fine. We'll have a forty-five minute recess. That should be enough for the prosecution to prepare the witness."

COURTROOM LOBBY A

10:00 AM

Maya started talking instantly. "Do you think the guy did it?!" She said.

"I don't know." Phoenix hesitated. He wasn't really listening to her. He was trying to remember how far away Ouran High School was from the courthouse.

"Marcus really hated Kaoru." Haruhi said, thinking.

"Marcus?" Maya asked.

"Veia's fiancé."

"Oh."

"Psh. Not like it was Kaoru's fault that he was so good with people." Hikaru shrugged. "Not like he noticed that Veia was in love with him."

"Hikaru . . ."Tamaki said. "You seem . . . better."

"Yeah. My bro is still alive. I just know it. Right Mr. Wright?" Hikaru grinned.

(Why does everyone pick on my name?) "Yeah. Do you guys know how far Ouran High School is from here?"

Haruhi looked at him. "Well that's a dumb question. It's just a couple blocks away. Five minutes, at most."

"Ok!" Phoenix smiled. "I'll be right back! If the court starts before I get there . . . Maya, I need you to stall. Just in case something happens. Call me if you need to."

"But Nick . . ." Maya's words didn't reach him, he was already out the door.

OURAN HIGH SCHOOL

10:10 AM

Phoenix ran up, out of breath. He didn't listen to his brain that ordered him to stop, or anything else that teamed up with his brain and ganged up against him. He ran up the large staircase and into the 3rd music room.

There was yellow tape around the bloodstain, but everything else was untouched. He grabbed out a small digital camera he borrowed from Tamaki since he was to poor to afford anything of the sort. The door to the storage room was locked, but he took a picture of the floor, putting a ruler next to it. He also dusted the doorknob for fingerprints, finding a set that matched Veia's fiancé, Marcus Medioambiente.

He pulled at the door a little bit, but it didn't budge. It was also so sturdy that when he attempted to ram it down, it stood firmer than he did.

"You know, I could charge you for breaking and entering." Kyouya Ootori appeared from behind him.

Phoenix sighed. "Do you have the key, I know that there's some important evidence lying right behind that door."

Kyouya smiled. "You know, I just so happen to have the key right here." He unlocked the door. "If you don't win this case, I'll charge you with breaking and entering." He smirked. (Shadow King.)

He looked through the room, taking a few more pictures of the footprints that moved throughout the room. He followed them, finding an extremely large elevator. He dusted the button for fingerprints, finding another one that matched Marcus.

Phoenix had what he needed, and looked through the rest of the room quickly. There was nothing else that he figured would be important, and he ran out of the room. Hopefully he would be back in time.

COURTROOM LOBBY A

10:44 AM

"What could be taking Nick so long?" Maya said worried, tapping her foot.

"Well, he _is_ old." Tamaki thought aloud.

"He's in his thirties. He's not that old." Haruhi corrected him. "I do hope he hasn't encountered any problems."

"If the defense could please proceed to the courtroom." The bailiff said, looking around to find Phoenix. "Err, where's Phoenix Wright?"

They all exchanged nervous glances.

"He went to the bathroom. He said it was an emergency. He went right before you came out. It shouldn't be too long! Sorry!" Maya jumped and bowed.

"Alright. You guys tell him to hurry up, I'll tell the judge." The bailiff left the room, and everyone sighed in relief.

"Ohh, I hope he get's out of the bathroom soon." Tamaki said loudly.

Haruhi gave him a suspicious glance.

"If he doesn't come soon, you might have to defend Hikaru. The longer we stall, the better." Tamaki reassured Haruhi.

Five minutes passed, and they could tell that everyone in the courtroom was getting restless. They also heard some footsteps approach the door, and Miles Edgeworth coming out of them.

"You have got to be joking. Wright's still in there?" He said. "You know what, I'm gonna go make sure he hasn't fallen in." He walked toward the restroom, Hikaru jumping in his way.

"Don't worry, he hasn't. We checked earlier, it's just . . .uh . . ."

Tamaki jumped next to Hikaru. "How can we put his politely? He's in the middle of a number two, and if you value your sense of smell, I wouldn't recommend going in there."

"Oh yeah, totally polite Tono." Hikaru groaned. "The commoners are rubbing off on you."

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. "I'll just check." As he reached for the door, Phoenix barged in through the front entrance. He was breathing heavily, but he was grinning.

"Number two, huh?" Edgeworth smiled. He shrugged.

"Feeling better, Mr. Wright?" The judge asked, suppressing laughter.

"Huh?"

Maya whispered to Phoenix what they had done. (Great. I ask them to stall and instead they embarrass me. Why do I have the feeling I'll never live this one down?)

Edgeworth coughed. "Can we wrap this up?"

"Right. The trial for the murder . . .err . . . kidnaping of Kaoru Hitachiin will now commence." The Judge was still smiling. "Is the witness ready, Mr. Edgeworth?"

"Yes, I call to the stand Mr. Marcus–"

"Hey Mister What's-your-face, I told you that I don't want my last name said. I'd prefer that you just called me by my first name." The kid was tall, with long blonde hair. His face was almost angelic, even though he was frowning. His icy glare pierced Phoenix, though he was obviously speaking to Edgeworth. "Let's get this thing over with. I have places to be, you know."

"Fine then. I'll make this simple for you." Phoenix said. "Do you wear the same shoes every day?"

"Well, of course. Why waste a good pair of shoes?" Marcus showed faint signs of fear behind his obvious aggravation.

"Do you mind then, that I see a shoe of yours? I just want to check something."

"Dude, shouldn't you be more prepared? Isn't that your job as a lawyer, man? 'Greatest lawyer' my–"

"Just trying to make this fast, like you wanted."

"No, you cant see my shoes without good evidence. They're expensive." He stuck his tongue out like a spoiled brat.

Phoenix thought for a moment, and decided to take it nice and slow. "During the investigation, I found a few odd pieces of evidence. Some that didn't make sense. But I think you might be able to answer those, Mr. Marcus." Phoenix tried to think of the first question to ask. "What were you doing during the time that Kaoru Hitachiin was kidnaped?"

"I was waiting to tutor Veia. That girl always takes forever to do her make-up, I figured she was doing it while I was waiting. She knows that I'll wait for her, no matter what." He smiled, his love apparent.

"Ok. And where exactly is the room that you were waiting in?"

"Oh, it's on the first floor. In . . . er, near, the history classes."

"Hm, so it's on the opposite end of the school compared to the third music room. You wouldn't be anywhere near that place."

"Well, of course. That place is full of a bunch of loons. Everyone knows that, their just too afraid to say it because the 'king's' father is the head of the school. Pathetic, if you ask me." he growled, his gaze never leaving Phoenix.

"Then, could you explain what your fingerprints were doing on the button of the elevator within the storage room?"

"Ah . . ." Marcus was slightly stunned, biting his lip. "And how the heck would you know that? The place is always locked, no one can get in there, not even me."

"But then, how could your fingerprint, partially marked with blood . . ." Phoenix showed the picture, "be on the elevator buttons? How can you explain that, if you've never been there?"

The jury began taking amongst themselves, and stopped after the judge banged his gavel several times. "Explain yourself, Mister Marcus!"

"I-I-I . . ." Marcus stuttered, and became very silent. "I did it. Okay?! That guy was always flirting with all the girls, and even Veia. First I asked him to stop, and he did. But she wouldn't stay away from him. It ticked me off, because he is way better of a person than I could ever hope to be! I told Veia not to tell anyone what I had done, and if you need anymore proof, you can see my shoes. I bet with a bit of luminol you'll see traces of blood there. I just cant do this charade anymore."

"Hunh?!" Phoenix hadn't expected it to be that simple. So it wasn't really that simple, but normally people didn't confess unless they were trapped in a corner, or he'd have to bring something from the past. This was just too easy.

"I know it was wrong. I knew that when I did it. I knew she wouldn't show for tutoring, I knew who she was with. And I was sick of it. So I hid in their kitchen, and waited for him to walk in. I took the fire extinguisher, I didn't wanna kill him, if you understand that. He walked in, and I smacked him in the back of the head with it as he turned away. But it was Hikaru instead. I saw Kaoru standing right across from me, totally shocked. I guess he got scared, and tried to attack me to get to his brother. Veia jumped out, and cut hm on accident. It was bleeding kinda bad, and Kaoru passed out. Veia wrapped him up, and that was when we realized that we had to hide him, at least until we could convince him to keep quiet. Or at least nurture him until he got better. I didn't know that it would come out to this."

"Then where is my brother!?!?" Hikaru exclaimed.

"He's in my family's private clinic. He was out for a long time, and when he woke up, he was kinda out of it. He lost more blood than we realized, so he was out of it for a while. He said he understood the situation, and I was gonna bring him back tomorrow. We were gonna B.S. everyone, or that's what he said. You can get him if you want."

"No one move." The judge said. "This just seems too easy. Bailiff, go get someone to get the boy and bring him here."

It was only a few minutes wait. Apparently the private hospital was close to the courtroom, and wasn't so private after all. It was a commoner's hospital.

Kaoru had walked in, smiling. He almost fell when Hikaru, Tamaki, and Haruhi ran to hug him. When order was reestablished, he was brought to the stand, to tell his side of the story.

"It's . . . practically exactly as Marcus said. I got hurt," he lifted his bandaged arm, "and he and his family helped me get better." He smiled innocently.

"How do you know what Mr. Marcus said?" Phoenix asked. "Weren't you still in the hospital?"

"Yes, but he and Veia had these little microphones that let me hear. They had no idea that Hikaru was up for trial, but once they did, and Veia was brought to the stand, they made it so that they could manipulate you guys into getting Marcus on the stand. I helped, of course. We had to make it so no one could get the blame for this little accident. I am not willing to press charges." Kaoru stood, confident.

"Are you certain?"

"Most definitely."

It was a while after, most people curious about his sanity. But after, Phoenix was thanked, and the Host Club left, content with the ruling. This was a happily ever after, after all.


End file.
